Chapter 48: True Talent
Ryan left the matter of teaching Isabella to Nika.
He himself continued training in martial arts.
In truth, there were two things that mattered most in marksmanship: talent and an endless supply of bullets.
Talent was something no one could control.
As for endless bullets, Ryan could provide those.
How far Isabella could go in the future, and whether she could make every shot a headshot, would depend on her own talent.
Every expert marksman was trained with countless bullets.
On that point, Ryan had no better solution.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out without end.
After obtaining the Desert Eagle, Isabella immediately began practicing.
And things turned out exactly as Ryan had expected.
Several servants helped Isabella load bullets into her magazines, saving her time.
What surprised Ryan, however, was how quickly her marksmanship improved.
It had only been half a day.
Yet when Isabella shot at the practice mannequins, she was already landing headshots ninety percent of the time.
Could it be that Isabella was actually a genius?
For the rest of the day, Ryan observed her carefully.
He noticed that every time Isabella fired, a faint glimmer appeared in her eyes just beforehand.
“Magic?”
Ryan murmured to himself.
He had no magic talent, so he could not tell whether it was magic or not.
During a break, Ryan walked over to Isabella.
“Mr. Ryan.”
“Master, you’re here.”
Ryan nodded. “Yes. I came to see how Miss Isabella’s practice is going.”
Nika smiled and said, “Miss Isabella is very talented. She mastered the basics of firing very quickly, and her accuracy is excellent as well.”
“Miss Isabella, just now I noticed that before every shot, a glimmer appeared in your eyes. What was that?”
“Th-That was vision enhancement magic, a type of Body Enhancement Magic.”
“I... I thought that if I could see the distant practice mannequins more clearly, it might help.”
Isabella explained timidly.
“I see, so it really was magic. Miss Isabella, you really are a genius.”
Ryan praised her.
“A genius...?”
Isabella murmured softly.
Ever since she had been old enough to understand things, no one had ever praised her as a genius.
Instead, labels like bottom-ranker, trash, and the shame of the Jurgen Family had been forced onto her.
She had always believed them herself.
After all, her magic talent was only D-rank. She could not compare to her father at all.
The children of her age within the family would not play with her.
Growing up, there had been very few people she could truly call friends.
All of that changed today.
It was because of Mr. Ryan.
It was the Magic Tool Ryan had made that gave her, for the first time, a sense of confidence.
And it was also Ryan who had, for the first time, praised her as a genius.
The vision enhancement magic she had just used was the magic she was best at.
Compared to dazzling fire magic, swift lightning magic, and invisible wind magic, this kind of Body Enhancement Magic was already considered to be at the very bottom.
And the vision enhancement magic she excelled at was the very bottom of the bottom.
Other Mages, at the very least, could strengthen their fists to increase their strength or enhance their legs to increase their speed.
She could not even do that. All she could enhance were certain senses, such as sight and hearing.
People in this world had always sneered at this sort of magic and placed it at the very bottom of the pecking order.
“That’s right. Miss Isabella, you need to have confidence in yourself.”
Ryan continued, “By the way, Miss Isabella, how long can your vision enhancement magic last? And how far can you see at most?”
“Uh... As for vision enhancement magic, I can maintain it for an entire day. As for the farthest distance... I can see that mountain over there.”
After speaking, Isabella pointed into the distance.
Ryan followed the direction of her finger.
The next moment, he was utterly shocked.
Because the mountain Isabella was pointing at was at least several thousand meters away from the Jurgen Family castle.
“Miss Isabella, do you mean that mountain? That place has to be several thousand meters away from here. You can still see that far?”
Ryan quickly stepped closer and asked.
“N-No, I can’t see it clearly. I can only make out the general outline.”
Isabella shook her head and unconsciously took two steps back.
“Uh... Sorry. I was too abrupt.”
Ryan quickly apologized and moved farther away again.
“It’s all right. You just startled me a little.”
Isabella said softly.
Ryan looked at the distant mountain, his heart filled with shock.
According to Isabella, she could vaguely see a mountain thousands of meters away.
That made Ryan think of a profession from Blue Star in his previous life—a sniper.
Separated by thousands of meters, holding a sniper rifle, killing the enemy with a single shot.
But if he remembered correctly, a sniper who could successfully hit a target from beyond one thousand meters was already considered highly skilled.
A sniper who could succeed at around two thousand meters was among the absolute best.
But that mountain was definitely more than two thousand meters away from the Jurgen Family castle.
Then he reconsidered.
This was a world where magic existed.
Using the standards of his previous life to judge it was clearly wrong.
If Isabella were given a sniper rifle scope, would she be able to see clearly?
So Isabella’s true talent did not lie with handguns at all.
It lay with sniper rifles.
Isabella could absolutely become a top-class sniper.
At that thought, Ryan felt a little dispirited.
Because he knew Isabella could never leave with him to travel and adventure.
She was the young lady of the Jurgen Family.
Even if she was not well liked, as long as Alfred lived, she would still be the family’s young lady.
Besides, Isabella’s personality had only improved a little. It had not yet reached a normal state.
There was no way Alfred and Greta would agree to let Isabella leave her parents’ side.
Ryan shook his head and turned to continue his martial arts training.
......
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was afternoon.
At the training grounds, everyone was busy with their own matters.
Nila walked over to Isabella and said, “Miss, your friends have come to see you.”
“Ah? They’re here? I understand. I’ll go right away.”
At once, Isabella’s face lit up with joy.
She then set down the gun and headed toward her room with Nila.
In the past, Isabella had rarely gone out, so whenever her friends came to visit, they would hold a tea party in her room, talk about gossip, and discuss interesting things that had happened recently.
This was also one of the few ways Isabella learned about the outside world.
Her friends clearly understood her situation, so they came to visit her often.
Isabella hurried back to her room.
Inside, three girls were already waiting for her.
“Tina, Rosa, Sophia, you’re here!”
Isabella greeted her three friends.
Tina Laroche of the Cat Tribe.
She was about 1.6 meters tall, with a slender build and well-proportioned limbs.
On top of her head were two triangular black cat ears. Their tips were slightly rounded, and the backs of the ears were covered in darker fur.
Behind her was a black tail with a small tuft of white fur at the tip.
Her hair was long, black, and curly, reaching her waist. It looked soft, and her bangs swept to one side.
Her eyes were green with vertical pupils. Their shape was rounded, the outer corners slightly upturned, and her gaze was lively and alert.
Her nose was small and delicate, with a slightly rounded tip tinged faintly pink.
There was a small amount of pale fur on both sides of her cheeks.
On her upper body, she wore a short-sleeved white linen shirt. The collar was round, and the sleeves were tightened at the cuffs, revealing her slender arms.
Over the shirt, she wore a brown leather cuirass that covered only her chest and back, fastened at the edges with metal clasps.
On her lower body, she wore brown leather shorts that reached mid-thigh, with drawstrings at the hems.
On her feet were brown leather boots that reached just below the knees, decorated with simple stitched patterns.
She wore two silver bracelets on her wrists, each pierced with tiny holes.
Around her neck hung a leather necklace with a beast fang pendant.
Rosa Schultz of the Rabbit Tribe.
She was about 1.57 meters tall, with a petite frame and narrow shoulders.
On top of her head were two white rabbit ears, long and slender at the tips with a faint reddish tint. The inner sides were covered in pink fur, and the ears stood upright.
Behind her was a short white tail, fluffy and slightly rounded at the tip.
Her hair was light gold and long, reaching down to her hips. It was soft and smooth, with no bangs, falling naturally around her.
Her eyes were pale pink, rounded in shape, and clear in expression.
Her cheeks were round and carried a small amount of white fur.
On her upper body, she wore a pink silk camisole with a rather low neckline that revealed her collarbones.
Over that, she wore a short white jacket made of silk. The sleeves were short, and the edges were trimmed with lace.
On her lower body, she wore a white gauze skirt that reached her knees.
On her feet were white embroidered cloth shoes, with pink flowers stitched across the surface.
A pink ribbon was tied around her wrist in the shape of a bow.
In her hair, she wore a pink flower ornament made of fabric, its layered petals clearly defined.
Sophia Berg of the Lion Tribe.
She was about 1.63 meters tall, with a sturdy physique and smooth, well-defined muscles.
On top of her head were two light brown lion ears. Their tips were rounded, and the outer sides were covered in short, dense, light brown mane-like fur. The ears stood upright.
Behind her was a light brown tail, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip, with dense fur.
Her hair was dark brown and reached her shoulders. It was coarse and naturally wavy, with several strands of light brown mane-like hair mixed in.
Her eyes were amber, rounded in shape and rather wide, with a steady, sharp gaze.
Her facial features were distinct. Her chin was broad, her jawline clear, and there was a small amount of short light brown fur on both sides of her cheeks.
On her upper body, she wore a brown leather vest without sleeves, fastened down the front with bronze clasps up to the chest.
Underneath, she wore a beige linen long-sleeved shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing her strong forearms.
On her lower body, she wore dark brown leather trousers with loose legs, tied at the cuffs with leather cords and tucked into her boots.
On her feet were dark brown long boots reaching her knees, with horizontal leather strip decorations and thick soles.
Around her waist was a wide leather belt, from which hung a curved blade. Its scabbard was made of brown leather and decorated with simple embossed patterns.
Around her neck hung a thick hemp-rope necklace with a round copper pendant engraved with a simplified sun design.
“Huh? Did the sun rise in the west today? Isabella, why did you go out?”
Tina teased.
“Exactly! When we arrived, we heard the maids say you were outside, and we were shocked.”
Rosa cut in.
Sophia said nothing, but the expression on her face made it obvious that she also wanted to know why Isabella had gone out.
They knew this close friend of theirs far too well. Unless it was absolutely necessary, she would never leave her room.
And now they had actually seen her coming back from outside, so of course they immediately began asking questions.